March 29th, 2026
by Pastor Matt Vandeleest
by Pastor Matt Vandeleest
Did He actually rise?
Everything we believe as Christians stands or falls on this single question. It's not a minor theological detail we can debate over coffee and agree to disagree about. It's not something we can push to the side while we focus on the "practical" parts of faith. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the foundation upon which the entire structure of Christianity either stands or falls.
The Apostle Paul put it bluntly: "If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sin" (1 Corinthians 15:17). Notice he doesn't say an unrisen Christ would be disappointing or unfortunate. He says it would be devastating. Without the resurrection, everything we believe collapses back into the grave with Jesus. The gospel isn't good news anymore. The promise of eternal life vanishes. Hope disappears.
Many today want to cherry-pick Christianity—taking the moral teachings, the community values, the cultural contributions—while rejecting the supernatural claims. But you cannot have the fruit of Christianity while cutting down the tree. The transformed hearts, the changed lives, the redeemed communities—all of it grows from one root: the reality that Jesus conquered death.
The Evidence Demands a Verdict
Here's what makes Christianity unique: we don't believe in the resurrection despite the evidence. We believe because of the evidence.
When Paul wrote to the Corinthians, he wasn't inventing new theology. He was passing along what had already been established. The creed he shares in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 was in use as early as 36 AD—just three to five years after the resurrection itself. This wasn't a legend that developed over centuries. This was eyewitness testimony from people who were there.
In the ancient world, having documented claims from the actual time period of an event is extraordinarily rare. Yet here we have a creed, firmly established within years of the resurrection, telling us exactly what the earliest Christians believed. What they believed then is what we have in our Bibles now.
The evidence doesn't stop with an early creed. Historians have identified what they call "minimal facts"—facts accepted by the vast majority of scholars regardless of their personal beliefs about Christianity. Here are five:
First, Jesus died by Roman crucifixion. This isn't seriously disputed by anyone. Rome was brutally effective at killing people, and the crucifixion of Jesus is one of the most well-attested events in ancient history.
Second, His tomb was found empty. Even the early Jewish opponents of Christianity didn't deny the empty tomb. Instead, they claimed someone stole the body. Think about that—their explanation admitted the tomb was empty. Matthew's Gospel records how they paid off the guards to say the disciples stole Jesus' body while they slept. But what soldier would admit to sleeping on duty when the penalty was death? The story is absurd, yet it confirms what everyone knew: the body was gone.
Third, multiple individuals and groups reported seeing Jesus alive after His death. Paul lists them: Peter, the Twelve, more than 500 people at once (most of whom were still alive when Paul wrote), James (Jesus' own brother), all the apostles, and Paul himself. These weren't anonymous sources or vague rumors. Paul essentially said, "If you don't believe me, go ask them yourself. Most are still around."
Fourth, the disciples were transformed. Remember what happened when Jesus was arrested? These men scattered in terror. Peter denied even knowing Jesus. John ran away practically naked, so afraid he left his clothes behind. Yet within weeks, these same terrified men were standing on the streets of Jerusalem boldly proclaiming that Jesus was alive. They held to this testimony through persecution, suffering, and death. Every apostle except John died as a martyr. People don't die for something they know is a lie.
Fifth, key skeptics were converted. James, Jesus' brother, thought Jesus was crazy during His ministry. He mocked Him, tried to stop Him. Yet after the resurrection, James became a leader of the church. Paul was actively persecuting Christians, throwing them in prison, watching them die. Then he encountered the risen Christ and became Christianity's greatest missionary. Something happened to these men that no naturalistic explanation can account for.
The Alternatives Don't Hold Up
Modern skeptics offer various theories to explain away the resurrection, but none withstand scrutiny:
The swoon theory asks us to believe a man whipped to the bone, crucified for six hours, and stabbed with a spear somehow revived without medical attention, moved a massive stone, and convinced his disciples he'd conquered death.
The stolen body theory requires us to believe terrified disciples fabricated a story and then willingly suffered beatings, imprisonment, and death for something they knew was a lie.
The hallucination theory claims 500 people hallucinated the same thing at the same time—something that simply doesn't happen.
The legend theory suggests the resurrection story developed over centuries, ignoring the fact that we have creeds from within years of the event itself.
What This Means for You
The resurrection isn't just ancient history. It's the declaration that changes everything about how you live today.
Because He rose, you are justified. The cross is where your sin was paid for. The resurrection is where the Father declared the payment accepted. When guilt whispers that you've gone too far or messed up too many times, the empty tomb proves otherwise. You are justified—declared righteous—not because you earned it, but because of Christ's blood.
Because He rose, you are being sanctified. The same power that rolled away the stone is at work in you to break sin's grip. You're not stuck with that battle you've been fighting for years. Death didn't have the last word over Christ's body, and it doesn't have the last word over your sins. You're called to crucify your sin not as someone hoping to be changed, but as someone who has been changed.
Because He rose, you are adopted into God's family. You didn't receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear. You received the Spirit of adoption, by whom you cry, "Abba, Father." You're not standing outside hoping to get in. Because of Christ's work, God calls you His son or daughter. When you pray, you're not shouting into the void—you're speaking to your Father who genuinely sees you as His child.
Come Home
God created everything beautiful, meant to be enjoyed without sin. Sin destroyed it all—our relationships with each other, with creation, and most significantly, with God. The resurrection is the call to come home, to return to relationship with the Father through Jesus Christ.
The tomb is empty. Christ is King. The opportunity to come home is offered to everyone.
The only question that remains is: what will you do with the evidence?
Everything we believe as Christians stands or falls on this single question. It's not a minor theological detail we can debate over coffee and agree to disagree about. It's not something we can push to the side while we focus on the "practical" parts of faith. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the foundation upon which the entire structure of Christianity either stands or falls.
The Apostle Paul put it bluntly: "If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sin" (1 Corinthians 15:17). Notice he doesn't say an unrisen Christ would be disappointing or unfortunate. He says it would be devastating. Without the resurrection, everything we believe collapses back into the grave with Jesus. The gospel isn't good news anymore. The promise of eternal life vanishes. Hope disappears.
Many today want to cherry-pick Christianity—taking the moral teachings, the community values, the cultural contributions—while rejecting the supernatural claims. But you cannot have the fruit of Christianity while cutting down the tree. The transformed hearts, the changed lives, the redeemed communities—all of it grows from one root: the reality that Jesus conquered death.
The Evidence Demands a Verdict
Here's what makes Christianity unique: we don't believe in the resurrection despite the evidence. We believe because of the evidence.
When Paul wrote to the Corinthians, he wasn't inventing new theology. He was passing along what had already been established. The creed he shares in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 was in use as early as 36 AD—just three to five years after the resurrection itself. This wasn't a legend that developed over centuries. This was eyewitness testimony from people who were there.
In the ancient world, having documented claims from the actual time period of an event is extraordinarily rare. Yet here we have a creed, firmly established within years of the resurrection, telling us exactly what the earliest Christians believed. What they believed then is what we have in our Bibles now.
The evidence doesn't stop with an early creed. Historians have identified what they call "minimal facts"—facts accepted by the vast majority of scholars regardless of their personal beliefs about Christianity. Here are five:
First, Jesus died by Roman crucifixion. This isn't seriously disputed by anyone. Rome was brutally effective at killing people, and the crucifixion of Jesus is one of the most well-attested events in ancient history.
Second, His tomb was found empty. Even the early Jewish opponents of Christianity didn't deny the empty tomb. Instead, they claimed someone stole the body. Think about that—their explanation admitted the tomb was empty. Matthew's Gospel records how they paid off the guards to say the disciples stole Jesus' body while they slept. But what soldier would admit to sleeping on duty when the penalty was death? The story is absurd, yet it confirms what everyone knew: the body was gone.
Third, multiple individuals and groups reported seeing Jesus alive after His death. Paul lists them: Peter, the Twelve, more than 500 people at once (most of whom were still alive when Paul wrote), James (Jesus' own brother), all the apostles, and Paul himself. These weren't anonymous sources or vague rumors. Paul essentially said, "If you don't believe me, go ask them yourself. Most are still around."
Fourth, the disciples were transformed. Remember what happened when Jesus was arrested? These men scattered in terror. Peter denied even knowing Jesus. John ran away practically naked, so afraid he left his clothes behind. Yet within weeks, these same terrified men were standing on the streets of Jerusalem boldly proclaiming that Jesus was alive. They held to this testimony through persecution, suffering, and death. Every apostle except John died as a martyr. People don't die for something they know is a lie.
Fifth, key skeptics were converted. James, Jesus' brother, thought Jesus was crazy during His ministry. He mocked Him, tried to stop Him. Yet after the resurrection, James became a leader of the church. Paul was actively persecuting Christians, throwing them in prison, watching them die. Then he encountered the risen Christ and became Christianity's greatest missionary. Something happened to these men that no naturalistic explanation can account for.
The Alternatives Don't Hold Up
Modern skeptics offer various theories to explain away the resurrection, but none withstand scrutiny:
The swoon theory asks us to believe a man whipped to the bone, crucified for six hours, and stabbed with a spear somehow revived without medical attention, moved a massive stone, and convinced his disciples he'd conquered death.
The stolen body theory requires us to believe terrified disciples fabricated a story and then willingly suffered beatings, imprisonment, and death for something they knew was a lie.
The hallucination theory claims 500 people hallucinated the same thing at the same time—something that simply doesn't happen.
The legend theory suggests the resurrection story developed over centuries, ignoring the fact that we have creeds from within years of the event itself.
What This Means for You
The resurrection isn't just ancient history. It's the declaration that changes everything about how you live today.
Because He rose, you are justified. The cross is where your sin was paid for. The resurrection is where the Father declared the payment accepted. When guilt whispers that you've gone too far or messed up too many times, the empty tomb proves otherwise. You are justified—declared righteous—not because you earned it, but because of Christ's blood.
Because He rose, you are being sanctified. The same power that rolled away the stone is at work in you to break sin's grip. You're not stuck with that battle you've been fighting for years. Death didn't have the last word over Christ's body, and it doesn't have the last word over your sins. You're called to crucify your sin not as someone hoping to be changed, but as someone who has been changed.
Because He rose, you are adopted into God's family. You didn't receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear. You received the Spirit of adoption, by whom you cry, "Abba, Father." You're not standing outside hoping to get in. Because of Christ's work, God calls you His son or daughter. When you pray, you're not shouting into the void—you're speaking to your Father who genuinely sees you as His child.
Come Home
God created everything beautiful, meant to be enjoyed without sin. Sin destroyed it all—our relationships with each other, with creation, and most significantly, with God. The resurrection is the call to come home, to return to relationship with the Father through Jesus Christ.
The tomb is empty. Christ is King. The opportunity to come home is offered to everyone.
The only question that remains is: what will you do with the evidence?
Posted in Easter
Recent
Archive
2026
January
February
No Comments